@Normal:Back row: Minister Assisting the Premier on Veterans Affairs Tony Robinson, AFL legend Ron Barassi, whose father was killed in action in World War II, his friend Bill Shannon. Front row: Veteran Alan Moore, Premier John Brumby, Monbulk MP James Merlino and veteran John Akhurst welcome funding for the Kokoda Memorial Walk. 56463
By Casey Neill
A $1 MILLION plan to improve the 1000 Steps could see the Upper Ferntree Gully memorial preserved for future generations and made safer for walkers and runners.
Premier John Brumby last week visited Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground, where the steps begin, to announce a Labor Party pledge to preserve and promote The Kokoda Track Memorial Walk.
The project includes an open-air information area and shelter for visiting school groups and a new Kokoda Plateau memorial site at One Tree Hill picnic ground, where the steps end.
Side platforms for walkers to stand aside on and a separate return pathway will be trialled to separate walkers and runners.
Mr Brumby said the makeover would be complete in time for the 70th anniversary of Kokoda Day on 8 August 2012. The memorial pays tribute to those who fought and died in Papua New Guinea in World War II.
Plaques alongside the steep, narrow steps depict the lives of those who fought and died on the trail during the Kokoda campaign in 1942.
“It remembers the extraordinary bravery and the courage of Australians during the Second World War who defended Papua New Guinea, defended Australia, defended our free world against the Japanese invasion,” Mr Brumby said. “It’s so important that we remember that and we reflect on that.”
Mr Brumby said visits to the walk had increased significantly over the past decade, for both fitness and reflection.
The steps will be closed for two to three months during winter for the upgrade.
World War II veteran Alan Moore said his battalion, the 39th, and two others had been working with Parks Victoria for the past three years to upgrade the steps.
